Set your objective
Advertising is great, but you still need to know why you’re doing it. Is your goal to increase traffic or to promote a fundraising campaign? These options require different budgets and different targeting strategies. If your prospect has never heard of your media outlet, it’s a safe bet that your first interaction won’t result in a sale. Tip for those on a tight budget: for immediate sales, focus on your existing customers.

Target your audience
Age, location, hobbies… It’s best to target the right audience. On Mediapart, a story about the sexism Rihanna faces will primarily target 25- to 34-year-olds, while an interview about pension reform will resonate more with 55- to 64-year-olds. Sometimes, these criteria can even apply to physical advertisements, as seen here with these billboards in Saint-Étienne promoting an investigation into the city’s mayor.

Bet on content
“Media acquisition campaigns often involve offering deals that are unbeatable,” journalist Jean Abbiateci pointed out in this Twitter thread. Rather than selling your content at a bargain price, focus on campaigns that highlight your writers and your editorial promise. The secret? A short piece that clearly identifies the author and sparks curiosity. Much like what the media outlet Vert did for its special COP26 newsletter.

Written by Marine Slavitch



